Carton With Tray And Top Access Feature

ABSTRACT

A package can include a tray that is inserted into the interior of a carton. The tray can have a tray bottom panel foldably connected to a first tray side panel and a second tray side panel. The carton can have a top access feature in a top panel to allow access to the containers and also expansion of the volume of the interior of the carton.

CROSS-REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/179,165, filed on Apr. 29, 2015.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/179,165,which was filed on Apr. 29, 2015, is hereby incorporated by referencefor all purposes as if presented herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to a carton for handling andcarrying containers, and particularly to cartons having a top accessfeature and a tray with liquid-tight or leakage resistant features.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In one aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a package forholding a plurality of containers. The package comprising a cartoncomprising a plurality of panels that extends at least partially aroundan interior of the carton. The plurality of panels comprising a toppanel, a bottom panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel. Thepackage comprises a tray for insertion into the interior of the carton.The tray comprises a tray bottom panel for supporting the plurality ofcontainers, a first tray side panel foldably connected to the bottomtray panel, a second tray side panel foldably connected to the traybottom panel, and liquid-tight features for at least partiallypreventing leakage from the package. The carton comprises at least oneaccess feature in the top panel of the carton for providing access tothe interior of the carton.

In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to thecombination of a carton blank and a tray blank for forming a packagethat holds a plurality of containers and has a carton and a tray. Thecarton blank is for forming the carton. The carton blank comprises aplurality of panels comprising a top panel, a bottom panel, a first sidepanel, and a second side panel, and at least one access feature in thetop panel. The tray blank is for forming the tray. The tray blankcomprises a tray bottom panel for supporting the plurality ofcontainers, a first tray side panel foldably connected to the traybottom panel, a second tray side panel foldably connected to the traybottom panel, and features for forming liquid-tight features of the trayfor at least partially preventing leakage of the package formed from thecarton blank and the tray blank.

In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a method offorming a package for holding a plurality of containers. The methodcomprises obtaining a carton blank that comprises a plurality of panelscomprising a top panel, a bottom panel, a first side panel, and a secondside panel, and at least one access feature in the top panel. The methodcomprises obtaining a tray blank comprising a tray bottom panel forsupporting a plurality of containers. The tray bottom panel is foldablyconnected to a first tray side panel and a second tray side panel andthe tray blank comprises features for forming liquid-tight features forat least partially preventing leakage from the package formed from thecarton blank and tray blank. The method comprises forming an interior ofa carton at least partially defined by the plurality of panels, whereinthe at least one access feature provides access to the interior of thecarton, forming a tray at least partially defined by the tray bottompanel, the first tray side panel, and the second tray side panel, andinserting the tray into the interior of the carton.

In another aspect, the disclosure is generally directed to a method ofexpanding the interior volume of a carton.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, the access feature in thetop panel can be opened and volume of the carton expanded so that ice,cold water, additional containers, and/or other articles can be placedin the carton through the opened top end. The tray located in theinterior volume of the carton can be used to retain liquids, such aswater resulting from melting ice, condensation, other liquids, andarticles such as, for example, refuse, particulate matter, etc.

Other aspects, features, and details of the present disclosure can bemore completely understood by reference to the following detaileddescription, taken in conjunction with the drawings and from theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

According to common practice, the various features of the drawingsdiscussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale. Dimensions ofvarious features and elements in the drawings may be expanded or reducedto more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a carton blank used to form a carton accordingto one embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a tray blank used to form a tray according toone embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the erected tray according to oneembodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the erected tray according to one embodiment ofthis disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the erected carton and the erected trayaccording to one embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the erected tray being inserted into theerected carton according to one embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the erected carton with opened accessflaps according to one embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view the erected carton showing the accessfeatures according to one embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the carton of the first embodimentillustrating access and expansion of the interior of the carton.

Corresponding parts are designated by corresponding reference numbersthroughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments of the present disclosure described below generallyrelate to a carton suitable for storing and dispensing articles such as,for example, beverage containers. The carton provides a bottomreceptacle suitable for accommodating, for example, liquids, ice, orother coolants in the carton bottom. In one exemplary embodiment, icecan be added to the opened top of the carton to cool beverage containersheld within the carton. As the ice melts, all or a part of the resultantrunoff water may be held within the bottom receptacle.

Articles accommodated within the present carton embodiments can includecontainers such as, for example, metallic beverage cans, glass orplastic bottles, or other containers such as, for example, those used inpackaging foodstuffs and other products. For the purposes ofillustration and not for the purpose of limiting the scope of thedisclosure, the following detailed description describes generallycylindrical metallic beverage containers as disposed within the carton.In this specification, the terms “side,” “end,” “bottom,” and “top”indicate orientations determined in relation to fully erected, uprightcartons.

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a carton blank 5 used to form a carton 150(illustrated in FIGS. 7-8), and FIG. 2 shows a plan view of a tray blank55 used to form a tray 250 (illustrated in FIG. 3), according to oneembodiment of the disclosure. The tray 250 may contain and at leastpartially support the containers C and be inserted into the carton 150to form a package 255 (FIG. 6). The tray 250 also can have liquid-tightfeatures for preventing leakage of liquid from the package 255, and thecarton 150 can have access features for allowing access to thecontainers C and expanding the volume of the package 255 to allow ice tobe placed on top of the containers C and retained in the package 255. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the carton 150, tray 250, and package 255may be dimensioned, sized, and/or shaped to house twenty-four containersC in a single layer in a 4×6 arrangement, but it is understood that thecarton 150, tray 250, and package 255 may be dimensioned, sized and/orshaped to hold containers of a different or same quantity in more thanone layer and/or in different row/column arrangements (e.g., 1×6, 3×4,2×6×2, 3×4×2, 3×5, 4×5, 3×6, 2×9, 2×6, 4×4, etc.).

As generally shown in FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the carton blank 5 canhave a longitudinal axis L1 and a lateral axis L2 and generally includea bottom panel 10; a first side panel 20 and a second side panel 22foldably connected to a respective side of the bottom panel 10 at oralong a respective longitudinal fold line 21, 23; and a top panel 30foldably connected to the first side panel 20 at or along a longitudinalfold line 31. An adhesive panel 40 can be foldably connected to the toppanel 30 along longitudinal fold line 41. Additionally, the bottom panel10 may be foldably connected to a first top end flap 13 and a second topend flap 15. The first side panel 20 can be foldably connected to firstside end flap 24 and a second side end flap 25, and the second sidepanel 22 can be foldably connected to a first side end flap 27 andsecond side end flap 29. The top panel 30 also can be foldably connectedto a first top end flap 33 and second top end flap 35.

In the illustrated embodiment, when the carton 150 is erected, the firstend flaps 13, 24, 27, 33 may close a first end 9 of the carton 150 andthe second end flaps 15, 25, 29, 35 may close a second end 11 of thecarton 150 (FIGS. 7-8). The end flaps 13, 24, 27, 33 can extend along afirst marginal area 100 of the carton blank 5 and be foldably connectedto a respective panel 10, 20, 22, 30 at a longitudinal fold line 62, andthe end flaps 15, 25, 29, 35 can extend along a second marginal area 102of the carton blank 5 and be foldably connected to a respective panel10, 20, 22, 30 at or along a longitudinal fold line 64 (FIG. 1). Thelongitudinal fold lines 62, 64 may be, for example, substantiallystraight, or offset at one or more locations to account for blankthickness or for other factors. However, the longitudinal fold lines 62,64 could be omitted or could be otherwise shaped, arranged, positioned,and/or configured without departing from the disclosure.

The top panel 30 can include a tear feature, e.g., a breachable line ofdisruption 50, that at least partially forms four top access flaps 52,54, 56, 58 in the top panel 30, according to one embodiment of thisdisclosure. Although, more or less, or other arrangements and/orconfigurations of, access flaps can be used without departing from thisdisclosure. Each of the top access flaps 52, 54, 56, 58 can berespectively foldably connected to the top panel 30 at a respective foldline 53, 55, 47, 59 (FIGS. 1 and 8). In the illustrated embodiment, theline of disruption 50 can be a tear line that includes a central lateralportion 61 and oblique portions 63 extending from ends of the centralportion, though the line or disruption could be otherwise shaped,arranged, and/or configured without departing from the presentdisclosure. The central lateral portion 61 may comprise one or morecurved portions, e.g., 61 a and 61 b, and the curved portions 61 a, 61 bmay form or define a substantially sinusoidal shape, though the centrallateral portion can include any suitable shape without departing fromthe disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the tray blank 55 can include a longitudinalaxis L1 and a lateral axis L2 and have a bottom panel 70; two sidepanels 72, 74 foldably connected to the bottom panel 70 at respectivelongitudinal fold lines 73, 75; and end panels 76, 78 foldably connectedto the bottom panel 70 at respective lateral fold lines 77, 79. A lowergusset 80 can be located at or along each corner of the bottom panel 70,extending between and connected to an adjacent side panel 72, 74 andbottom end panel 76, 78, and each lower gusset 80 may comprise a firstgusset panel 82 foldably connected to a bottom end panel 76, 78 at thelongitudinal fold line 73, 75, and a second gusset panel 84 foldablyconnected to a side panel 72, 74 at the lateral fold line 77, 79 and thefirst gusset panel 82 at an oblique fold line 86 (FIG. 2). The trayblank 55 could be otherwise shaped, arranged, and/or configured withoutdeparting from this disclosure.

An exemplary method of erecting or forming the carton 150, tray 250, andpackage 255 from the carton blank 5 and tray blank 55 is generallydiscussed below with reference to FIGS. 1-9. The carton 150, tray 250,and package 255, however, can be erected with other methods or foldingsteps without departing from the disclosure.

The tray 250 can be formed from the tray blank 55 by upwardly foldingthe side panels 72, 74 and the end panels 76, 78 relative to the bottompanel 70. The gussets 80 can be formed by overlapping and gluing thegusset panels 82, 84 to connect or fix the side panels 72, 74 to the endpanels 76, 78 by way of the gussets 80. The gusset panels 82, 84 can befolded and glued or otherwise fixed together, and the gusset panels 82can be glued or otherwise fixed to the end panels 76, 78. The connectionof the gussets 80 to the end panels 76, 78 may form the tray 250, andthe tray 250 may be liquid-tight and able to contain water and preventleakage. The tray 250 can be formed by other steps without departingfrom the disclosure. The tray 250 can be filled with containers C byplacing the containers on the bottom panel 70 of the tray 250. Theloaded tray 250 further can be loaded or inserted into the carton 150.

The carton 150 can be formed by attaching the adhesive panel 40 to thesecond side panel 22, e.g., using glue, and positioning the side panels20, 22 to extend between the bottom panel 10 and the top panel 30 toform an open ended sleeve 91 (FIGS. 6 and 7). The open end sleeve 91 canreceive the tray 250 loaded with the containers C (FIG. 6). The ends 9,11 of the carton 150 can be closed by folding and at least partiallyoverlapping the ends flaps 13, 24, 27, 33 at the first end 104 and byfolding and at least partially overlapping the end flaps 15, 25, 29, 35at the second end 106. The carton 150 and/or sleeve 91 can be formed byother steps without departing from the disclosure.

The loaded and closed package 255 including the carton 150 and the tray250 is generally shown in FIG. 8. An exemplary method of accessing thepackage 255 and expanding the volume of the package 255 is discussedbelow with reference to FIGS. 9-10.

The top access flaps 52, 54, 56, 58 can be separated from the top panel30 by tearing along the tear feature 50 to allow the flaps to be foldedupwardly along a respective fold line 53, 55, 57, 59. The upwardlyfolding of the flaps 52, 54, 56, 46 allows access to the containers Cheld in the tray 250. Also, as shown in FIG. 9, the upwardly folding ofthe access flaps 52, 54, 56, 58 provides an open secondary compartment157 above the tray 250 that houses the containers C. The secondarycompartment 157 may be open to the interior of the carton 150 and thetray 250 and expand the interior volume of the carton 150 to allow iceto be supported at a location above the containers C. The access flapsor four walls 52, 54, 56, 58 of the secondary compartment 157 can flexto at least partially support the ice and funnel the ice and melted coolwater down onto the containers C and into the tray 250. The liquid-tighttray 250 keeps the cool water and ice from leaking from the carton 150so that the containers C stay cold. Containers housed in the tray 250can be accessed and withdrawn from the carton 150 through the secondarycompartment 157 that allows access to the tray. The secondarycompartment 157 can have other features and be otherwise shaped,arranged, and/or configured without departing from the disclosure.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the added interiorvolume afforded by activating the upstanding secondary compartment 157on top of the bottom tray 250 increases the carton height allowing asignificant volume of cooling media such as, for example, ice to beplaced on top of the beverage containers. If desired, additionalarticles may be placed in the carton 150 after opening. As the icemelts, the carton 150 serves to retain all or a portion of the waterrunoff from the melting ice by the liquid-tight features of the tray250.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the height of theinterior volume of the carton 150 increases by at least about 10% whenchanged from the closed configuration illustrated in FIG. 8, to the openand expanded configuration shown in FIG. 9. According to anotherembodiment of the disclosure, the height of the interior volume of theopen and expanded configuration is at least about 25% greater than theheight in the closed configuration. Alternative configurations havingdifferent ratios between the first height and the height and volumes areconsidered within the scope of this disclosure.

The carton blank 5 and/or tray blank 55 can, for example, be constructedof water resistant material to any degree desired so that liquid in thebottom of the carton 150 or tray 250 remains in the carton package 255for a selected amount of time.

Cartons or packages according to the principles of the presentdisclosure may be formed from materials such as, for example,paperboard. Therefore, if exposed to water or other liquids for extendedperiods of time, the package, carton, or tray may allow for the passageof liquid through the wetted carton surfaces due to partial permeabilityof the carton material. In this specification, the term “liquid-tight”is generally used to define a portion of the package that is formed froma continuous portion of material or of a portion without any glued seamsthrough which liquid or fine particulate matter might leak, and the term“liquid-tight” therefore encompasses packages, cartons, or trays thatmay become partially water permeable over time due to prolonged exposureto water or other liquids.

In the above embodiments, the packages, cartons, or trays are describedas accommodating twenty-four 12-ounce cans containers in 4×6×1configuration. Other arrangements of containers, packages, articles, andother items, however, can be accommodated within a package, carton, ortray constructed according to the principles of the present disclosure.For example, a package, carton, or tray constructed according to theprinciples of the present disclosure would also work satisfactorily ifthe package, carton, or tray were sized and shaped to hold articles inother configurations, such as 3×4×1, 3×6×1, 2×4×1, 2×5×1, 2×6×1, 4×6×1,etc., and multi-tier variations of the aforementioned configurations.

The dimensions of the blanks may also be altered, for example, toaccommodate various container forms. For example, 16-ouncepetaloid-shaped bottles, or bottles having any shape, may beaccommodated within a carton constructed according to the principles ofthe present disclosure.

The blanks according to the present disclosure can be, for example,formed from coated paperboard and similar materials. For example, theinterior and/or exterior sides of the blanks can be coated with a claycoating. The clay coating may then be printed over with product,advertising, price coding, and other information or images. The blanksmay then be coated with a varnish to protect any information printed onthe blank. The blanks may also be coated with, for example, a moisturebarrier layer, on either or both sides of the blank. In accordance withthe above-described embodiments, the blanks may be constructed ofpaperboard of a caliper such that it is heavier and more rigid thanordinary paper (e.g., a caliper of at least about 14). The blanks canalso be constructed of other materials, such as cardboard, hard paper,or any other material having properties suitable for enabling the cartonto function at least generally as described herein. The blanks can alsobe laminated or coated with one or more sheet-like materials at selectedpanels or panel sections.

The above embodiments may be described as having one or more panelsadhered together by glue. The term “glue” is intended to encompass allmanner of adhesives commonly used to secure carton panels in place.

In accordance with the above-described embodiments of the presentdisclosure, a fold line can be any substantially linear, although notnecessarily straight, form of weakening that facilitates foldingtherealong. More specifically, but not for the purpose of narrowing thescope of the present disclosure, fold lines include: a score line, suchas lines formed with a blunt scoring knife, or the like, which creates acrushed portion in the material along the desired line of weakness; acut that extends partially into a material along the desired line ofweakness, and/or a series of cuts that extend partially into and/orcompletely through the material along the desired line of weakness; andvarious combinations of these features. In the present specification, a“panel” or “flap” need not be flat or otherwise planar. A “panel” or“flap” can, for example, comprise a plurality of interconnectedgenerally flat or planar portions.

For purposes of the description presented herein, the term “line ofdisruption” can be used to generally refer to, for example, a cut line,a score line, a crease line, a tear line, or a fold line (or varioussequential and/or overlapping combinations thereof) formed in a blank. A“breachable” line of disruption is a line of disruption that is intendedto be breached during ordinary use of the carton. An example of abreachable line of disruption is a tear line.

As an example, a tear line can include: a slit that extends partiallyinto the material along the desired line of weakness, and/or a series ofspaced apart slits that extend partially into and/or completely throughthe material along the desired line of weakness, or various combinationsof these features. As a more specific example, one type tear line is inthe form of a series of spaced apart slits that extend completelythrough the material, with adjacent slits being spaced apart slightly sothat a nick (e.g., a small somewhat bridging-like piece of the material)is defined between the adjacent slits for typically temporarilyconnecting the material across the tear line. The nicks are brokenduring tearing along the tear line. The nicks typically are a relativelysmall percentage of the tear line, and alternatively the nicks can beomitted from or torn in a tear line such that the tear line is acontinuous cut line. That is, it is within the scope of the presentdisclosure for each of the tear lines to be replaced with a continuousslit, or the like. For example, a cut line can be a continuous slit orcould be wider than a slit without departing from the presentdisclosure.

In the illustrated embodiments, selected fold lines are shown asincluding spaced cuts to facilitate folding along the lines. If the cutsare below or adjacent to a bottom receptacle portion of a carton, lessthan 100% cuts may be used to prevent leakage along the fold lines.Alternatively, cuts or scores may be omitted within or near thereceptacle portion.

The foregoing description of the disclosure illustrates and describesvarious exemplary embodiments. Various additions, modifications,changes, etc. could be made to the exemplary embodiments withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the claims. It is intended thatall matter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense. Additionally, the disclosure shows and describes onlyselected embodiments of the disclosure, but the disclosure is capable ofuse in various other combinations, modifications, and environments andis capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the inventiveconcept as expressed herein, commensurate with the above teachings,and/or within the skill or knowledge of the relevant art. Furthermore,certain features and characteristics of each embodiment may beselectively interchanged and applied to other illustrated andnon-illustrated embodiments of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A package for holding a plurality of containers,comprising: a carton comprising a plurality of panels that extends atleast partially around an interior of the carton, the plurality ofpanels comprising a top panel, a bottom panel, a first side panel, and asecond side panel; and a tray for insertion into the interior of thecarton, the tray comprises a tray bottom panel for supporting theplurality of containers, a first tray side panel foldably connected tothe bottom tray panel, a second tray side panel foldably connected tothe tray bottom panel, and liquid-tight features for at least partiallypreventing leakage from the package, the carton comprises at least oneaccess feature in the top panel of the carton for providing access tothe interior of the carton.
 2. The package of claim 1, wherein the atleast one access feature comprises at least one tear feature in the toppanel of the carton.
 3. The package of claim 3, wherein the at least onetear feature comprises a breachable line of disruption at leastpartially defining a plurality of access flaps in the top panel of thecarton.
 4. The package of claim 4, wherein the breachable line ofdisruption comprises a central portion and at least one oblique portionextending from an end of the central portion.
 5. The package of claim 4,wherein the breachable line of disruption comprises a central portionand pairs of oblique portions extending from respective ends of thecentral portion.
 6. The package of claim 5, wherein the access flaps areeach foldably connected to the top panel of the carton along arespective fold line.
 7. The package of claim 6, wherein the accessflaps are folded upwardly relative to the top panel to at leastpartially form a compartment.
 8. The package of claim 7, wherein thecompartment is at least partially open to the interior of the carton. 9.The package of claim 8, wherein the compartment expands an interiorvolume of the carton and allows ice to be supported at a location abovethe plurality of containers.
 10. The package of claim 9, wherein one ormore of the access flaps at least partially support the ice and areflexible for directing the ice and melted liquid onto the plurality ofcontainers.
 11. The package of claim 1, wherein the tray comprises afirst tray end panel and a second tray end panel foldably connected tothe tray bottom panel, and a plurality of gussets connecting arespective one of the first tray side panel and the second tray sidepanel to a respective one of the first tray end panel and the secondtray end panel.
 12. The package of claim 11, wherein the plurality ofgussets comprises four gussets, each of the four gussets being at arespective corner of the tray.
 13. In combination, a carton blank and atray blank for forming a package that holds a plurality of containersand comprises a carton and a tray, the carton blank for forming thecarton, the carton blank comprises a plurality of panels comprising atop panel, a bottom panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel;and at least one access feature in the top panel; and the tray blank forforming the tray, the tray blank comprises a tray bottom panel forsupporting the plurality of containers, a first tray side panel foldablyconnected to the tray bottom panel, a second tray side panel foldablyconnected to the tray bottom panel, and features for formingliquid-tight features of the tray for at least partially preventingleakage of the package formed from the carton blank and the tray blank.14. The combination of claim 13, wherein the at least one access featurecomprises at least one tear feature in the top panel of the carton. 15.The combination of claim 14, wherein the at least one tear featurecomprises a breachable line of disruption at least partially defining aplurality of access flaps in the top panel of the carton.
 16. Thecombination of claim 15, wherein the breachable line of disruptioncomprises a central portion and at least one oblique portion extendingfrom an end of the central portion.
 17. The combination of claim 15,wherein the breachable line of disruption comprises a central portionand pairs of oblique portions extending from respective ends of thecentral portion.
 18. The combination of claim 15, wherein the accessflaps are each foldably connected to the top panel along a respectivefold line.
 19. The combination of claim 13, wherein the tray blankcomprises a first tray end panel and a second tray end panel foldablyconnected to the tray bottom panel, and a plurality of gussetsconnecting a respective one of the first tray side panel and the secondtray side panel to a respective one of the first tray end panel and thesecond tray end panel.
 20. The combination of claim 19, wherein theplurality of gussets comprises four gussets, each of the four gussetsbeing at a respective corner of the tray.
 21. A method of forming apackage for holding a plurality of containers, comprising: obtaining acarton blank that comprises a plurality of panels comprising a toppanel, a bottom panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel; andat least one access feature in the top panel; obtaining a tray blankcomprising a tray bottom panel for supporting a plurality of containers,the tray bottom panel is foldably connected to a first tray side paneland a second tray side panel and the tray blank comprises features forforming liquid-tight features for at least partially preventing leakagefrom the package formed from the carton blank and tray blank; forming aninterior of a carton at least partially defined by the plurality ofpanels, wherein the at least one access feature provides access to theinterior of the carton; and forming a tray at least partially defined bythe tray bottom panel, the first tray side panel, and the second trayside panel; and inserting the tray into the interior of the carton. 22.The method of claim 21, further comprising expanding an interior volumeof the carton.
 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising activatingat least one tear feature in the top panel of the carton to at leastpartially separate a plurality of access flaps foldably connected to thetop panel of the carton.
 24. The method of claim 23, further comprisingpositioning the plurality of access flaps to at least partially form acompartment that is at least partially open to the interior of thecarton.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one tearfeature comprises a breachable line of disruption at least partiallydefining the plurality of access flaps in the top panel of the carton.26. The method of claim 25, wherein the breachable line of disruptioncomprises a central portion and at least one oblique portion extendingfrom an end of the central portion.
 27. The method of claim 25, whereinthe breachable line of disruption comprises a central portion and pairsof oblique portions extending from respective ends of the centralportion.
 28. The method of claim 23, further comprising folding theaccess flaps upwardly relative to the top panel to at least partiallyform the compartment.
 29. The method of claim 28, further comprisingpositioning ice in the compartment at a location above the plurality ofcontainers.
 30. The method of claim 29, wherein one or more of theaccess flaps at least partially support the ice and are flexible fordirecting the ice and melted liquid onto the plurality of containers.